to the debt. the commission came up with a bipartisan plan to cut $4 trillion in deficit cuts, but the deal never gained enough support to be sent to congress. a year later in 2011, another fight emerged in congress over the treasury department's request to raise the debt limit. congress battled for months and the economy suffered, resulting in the u.s. losing its aaa credit rating for the first time in history. we were downgraded. what's next? and as part of a last-ditch compromise to avoid default, both sides agreed to $1 trillion in spending cuts and an additional $1.2 trillion in across-the-board cuts that would kick in at the beginning of 2013 unless a bipartisan super committee made up of politicians from both parties could come up with an agreement. that super committee failed, and of course, the country is now facing those self-imposed, massive cuts to defense spending and other programs. fed chair ben bernanke warned that if these cuts went through, and we're looking at a deadline that's